(Untitled)

[greatgoatman]

So, I was perusing the selection at a used game store the other day, looking for an old gem. While in my search, a man came in and asked a clerk for help. I was close enough to hear the conversation. He was looking for one of the Grand Theft Auto games, but didn't know which one. So he turned to his son and asked

Comments

[greatgoatman]

I doubt it was a seeing eye dog. It was way too small, I think it was a miniature collie. Good idea, though, I hadn't thought of anything like that. I just figured it lived nearby and liked to roam, and was smart enough to figure it out from seeing other people (like hordes of college students...unending hordes) crossing there.

I'm against censorship too, and generally I have a live and let live outlook on things. Which is why I'm reluctant to say anything be done about a situation like this. It's his choice as a father, and with no clear evidence that it's going to be at all detrimental to his son, I couldn't even tell him it's a bad influence, just that I really strongly believe it to be.

What I'd really like is if the ratings system on video games was more strongly enforced. Or at least better advertised. I think most parents who buy games like these for their kids are also the parents who wouldn't let them watch movies like Sin City or Hostel, which clearly deserve their mature ratings of R. Video games are increasingly more realistic, which is something parents could easily overlook. After all, it's just a game. But a movie is also just that, neither is real.

We've come a long way from Pac-man, but a lot of parents may simply not realize HOW far. It's hard for me to blame them, I doubt my parents really knew what games I was playing. They simply wouldn't have seen them as a threat (and in the 90s, that was much more true). I suppose it's simply up to the parents to try. Which makes my skin crawl, because I don't trust many people to be that careful.